SDIC Zhonglu Fruit Juice has acquired Appol Group

Lincoln International (“Lincoln”), a leading global mid-market investment bank, is pleased to announce that on December 14th, SDIC Zhonglu Fruit Juice Co., Ltd (“SDICZL” or the “Company”) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Poland Appol Group (“Appol”). This is the Company’s first acquisition under the Chinese “Belt and Road” initiatives, connecting the EU and Chinese markets by investing in Poland. Terms of the transaction were disclosed in SDICZL’s announcement in the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

Founded in 1994, Appol is the leading independent apple juice manufacturer in Poland and the leading Polish NFC apple juice manufacturer. Appol has three manufacturing plants, which are all located in the core apple planting areas of Poland, with a total production of 18,500 MT fruit juice concentrates and 16,500 MT NFC juices in 2016. Appol supplies juice products predominantly to EU countries.

SDICZL is controlled by China’s National Development Investment Group Co., Ltd. (formerly State Development & Investment Corporation) and is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SHSE:600962). SDICZL is one of the largest fruit juice concentrate producers in China with 90% of its products exported worldwide. The Appol acquisition establishes SDICZL’s first manufacturing base outside of China and is a key part of SDICZL’s globalization production layout strategy.

Lincoln International acted as the exclusive financial advisor for SDICZL. Lincoln’s team from China and Austria worked closely with the Company’s management team throughout the acquisition process. This included providing advisory during the auction process, valuation analysis, due diligence, SPA negotiation and communication with Chinese regulatory authorities.